Roger Ebert's Best Films of 2008

[Thomas Balkcom]

Ballast
The Band’s Visit
Che
Chop Shop
The Dark Knight
Doubt
The Fall
Frost/Nixon
Frozen River
Happy-Go-Lucky
Iron Man
Milk
Rachel Getting Married
The Reader
Revolutionary Road
Shotgun Stories
Slumdog Millionaire
Synecdoche, New York
W.
Wall-E

Documentaries
Encounters at the End of the World
I.O.U.S.A
Man on Wire
Standard Operating Procedure
Trouble the Water

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081205/COMMENTARY/812059997/1023

I was curious as to what y'all thought of that

[gloriousmuse]

Glad to see The Fall there.

[AShannon04]

I'm surprised The Wrestler isn't on there. The consensus seems to be that that'll be a Best Picture contender.

[aminorthreat55]

Reasonable list. I would like to see more foreign films on there but what can ya do.

[a speedo model]

I can't wait for Man on Wire on Tuesday.

[Ailite]

I'm dissapointed about Benjamin Button not being on there

[airik625]

I'm dissapointed about Benjamin Button not being on there

That's what I was thinking.

[stayillogical]

No In Bruges as well. I loooooved that one.

[aminorthreat55]

Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure Chop Shop is from 2007. I remember it playing near `here.

[pseudonym28]

the movies this year wern't that good.

[dissident]

W? that's surprising. the reviews were mixed and even the best seemed to just say it was pretty good.

[fluke182]

the movies this year wern't that good.
Without seeing a number of the big movies to date (i.e. the Wrestler, Milk, Curious Case of Benjamin Button), I tend to agree with you.

[Jessooker]

The Fall :biggrin:

[IAmNietzche]

the movies this year wern't that good.
The Dark Knight, Milk, Slumdog Millionaire are killer films and Frost/Nixon and Doubt look to be can't miss.

[dissident]

there's like a sentence of information for The Fall from wiki and imdb combined, how easy is it to find?

[Thomas Balkcom]

there's like a sentence of information for The Fall from wiki and imdb combined, how easy is it to find?

they have several at my local Blockbuster

[squared82]

I really liked the Band's Visit. good call.

[Adeniz19]

the movies this year wern't that good.
I haven't seen most of the oscar contenders yet, but the first 3/4 of this year have been far greater than last. still a lot of good movies out there that i want to see. (frost/nixon, milk, benjamin button, slumdog millionaire, doubt, boy in striped pajamas, appaloosa, changeling, choke)

[Domenic182]

Wall-E, hell yeah

[IamTheINDUSTRY]

weird no wrestler or ben button.

[Thomas Balkcom]

thought I'd update this with Time Magazine's top ten

1. Wall-E
2. Synecdoche, New York
3. My Winnipeg
4. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, & 2 Days
5. Milk
6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
7. Slumdog Millionaire
8. Iron Man
9. Speed Racer
10. Encounters at the End of the World

[Thomas Balkcom]

Bizarre to see no The Dark Knight but Speed Racer, although I did enjoy Speed Racer

[Bob Payne]

Ballast was beautiful and heartbreaking. Really glad it made his list, even though no one saw it. All you cinephiles would love it, but its not for the independent neophyte. I thought The Visitor would be up there, but he probably saw that a year ago.

Anyway, that's why being a critic is awesome. You get to see movies way before other people.

[more heart]

let's see

i saw the dark knight, iron man, and wall-e

[batmannj]

thought I'd update this with Time Magazine's top ten

1. Wall-E
2. Synecdoche, New York
3. My Winnipeg
4. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, & 2 Days
5. Milk
6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
7. Slumdog Millionaire
8. Iron Man
9. Speed Racer
10. Encounters at the End of the World

speed racer? really? wow.

i think that the dark knight belongs on there for sure. and wall-e at number one? it was a great film (top 10 for sure) but numero uno is a little high imo.

[stayillogical]

Haha, no Dark Knight on a best of list, that's ballsy. I love it.

[unwritten]

thought I'd update this with Time Magazine's top ten

1. Wall-E
2. Synecdoche, New York
3. My Winnipeg
4. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, & 2 Days
5. Milk
6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
7. Slumdog Millionaire
8. Iron Man
9. Speed Racer
10. Encounters at the End of the World

lol speed racer...gtfo Time.

[Thomas Balkcom]

speed racer? really? wow.

i think that the dark knight belongs on there for sure. and wall-e at number one? it was a great film (top 10 for sure) but numero uno is a little high imo.

I know I'm in the minority but I don't think Wall-E even belongs on a top ten, I was extremely shocked by it being number one.

[batmannj]

I know I'm in the minority but I don't think Wall-E even belongs on a top ten, I was extremely shocked by it being number one.

yeah i was shocked. i can see why people were not so into wall-e, i think it was one of those films that you either love or hate, really no in between.

[Thomas Balkcom]

yeah i was shocked. i can see why people were not so into wall-e, i think it was one of those films that you either love or hate, really no in between.

I think it was due to all of the hype I heard and read and than just being let down from it all, do not get me wrong I didn't hate it or anything it just didn't jump out at me like it did for most everybody else. It was beautiful on Blu-Ray and all, but Ratatouille is still superior IMO.

[batmannj]

I think it was due to all of the hype I heard and read and than just being let down from it all, do not get me wrong I didn't hate it or anything it just didn't jump out at me like it did for most everybody else. It was beautiful on Blu-Ray and all, but Ratatouille is still superior IMO.

I agree with you about Ratatouille for sure. It is easily my favorite Pixar film. It was in my top 5 films last year.

[MusicTalks]

lol speed racer...gtfo Time.

Dude, yes. That Top Ten is the biggest crock of shit.

[MusicTalks]

Ballast
The Band’s Visit
Che
Chop Shop
The Dark Knight
Doubt
The Fall
Frost/Nixon
Frozen River
Happy-Go-Lucky
Iron Man
Milk
Rachel Getting Married
The Reader
Revolutionary Road
Shotgun Stories
Slumdog Millionaire
Synecdoche, New York
W.
Wall-E

Documentaries
Encounters at the End of the World
I.O.U.S.A
Man on Wire
Standard Operating Procedure
Trouble the Water

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081205/COMMENTARY/812059997/1023

I was curious as to what y'all thought of that

I heard that Che was a huge joke.

I def want to see Ben Button, Doubt (Phillip Seymour Hoffman is a fucking fantastic actor. He was amazing in The Savages), Frost/Nixon, Milk and Rachel Getting Married.

[Thomas Balkcom]

I agree with you about Ratatouille for sure. It is easily my favorite Pixar film. It was in my top 5 films last year.

same here

[MADSTA]

I'm glad to see that The Band's Visit is getting some love. Such a great movie.

[jwelborn]

I was shocked to see My Winnipeg on Time's top list.

[batmannj]

this may be dumb of me, but i just recently started hearing buzz about slumdog millionaire. what is the plot of the movie? and when was (or will it be) released?

[MusicTalks]

this may be dumb of me, but i just recently started hearing buzz about slumdog millionaire. what is the plot of the movie? and when was (or will it be) released?

No, same here. I think I read about it like 2 weeks ago for the first time. It's getting great reviews. Here is the synopsis from IMDB.com.

Slumdog Millionaire is the story of Jamal Malik (Patel), an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India¹s "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?"

But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika (Pinto), the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show¹s questions.

Each chapter of Jamal¹s increasingly layered story reveals where he learned the answers to the show¹s seemingly impossible quizzes. But one question remains a mystery: what is this young man with no apparent desire for riches really doing on the game show?

When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to answer the final question, the Inspector and sixty million viewers are about to find out.

[batmannj]

No, same here. I think I read about it like 2 weeks ago for the first time. It's getting great reviews. Here is the synopsis from IMDB.com.

Slumdog Millionaire is the story of Jamal Malik (Patel), an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India¹s "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?"

But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika (Pinto), the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show¹s questions.

Each chapter of Jamal¹s increasingly layered story reveals where he learned the answers to the show¹s seemingly impossible quizzes. But one question remains a mystery: what is this young man with no apparent desire for riches really doing on the game show?

When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to answer the final question, the Inspector and sixty million viewers are about to find out.

thank you sir. it sounds pretty interesting, i was going to see it since the reviews were as good as they were, but now it is for sure.

[MusicTalks]

thank you sir. it sounds pretty interesting, i was going to see it since the reviews were as good as they were, but now it is for sure.

No problem. Until I read it today, I didn't know about the story and how he learns the answers to the questions, etc. I thought it was about a kid that wins a gameshow and a story about where he came from only. This should be good and is opening in wide release on the 22nd, if I'm not mistaken.

[slickwataris]

Speed Racer was amazing.

[WordzandDreamz]

Does anyone know if Roger actually saw Button yet?

[MusicTalks]

Does anyone know if Roger actually saw Button yet?

Sometimes I wonder if he's seen any of the movies.

[dissident]

ebert's the shit, i only agree half the time at most but he's one of the few critics i respect and i think he's pretty fair

[AShannon04]

There's no review for Benjamin Button on his site yet. Doesn't mean he hasn't seen it yet though. I'd imagine there's probably some kind of embargo with movie reviews.

[MusicTalks]

ebert's the shit, i only agree half the time at most but he's one of the few critics i respect and i think he's pretty fair

Oddly enough, there is one guy from RottenTomatoes who seems to have my taste in movies, so I usually side with him. Honestly though, everyone has different tastes, so being a movie critic is a tough, tough gig most of the time.

[Thomas Balkcom]

I really like Ebert, even though I often disagree with him, I love love love reading new entries in his blog. Although when I first got into film I despised him but I have come to respect him immensely.

[MusicTalks]

I really like Ebert, even though I often disagree with him, I love love love reading new entries in his blog. Although when I first got into film I despised him but I have come to respect him immensely.

You happen to have that link?

[popdisaster00]

Without seeing a number of the big movies to date (i.e. the Wrestler, Milk, Curious Case of Benjamin Button), I tend to agree with you.
Agreed. I am so out of the loop on this year's "best pictures" and the year is almost over. I missed SO MUCH due to school and work. Ugh.

[Thomas Balkcom]

You happen to have that link?

http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/

one of my favorites in my RSS Reader, he doesn't update all that often though

[eMart]

I loved his "review" of Ben Stein's eXpelled.

[MusicTalks]

http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/

one of my favorites in my RSS Reader, he doesn't update all that often though

I loved his "review" of Ben Stein's eXpelled.

I just read that. Damn funny.

[aolsux]

I wouldn't put Dark Knight on my top ten of the year. Ballsy, I know...

[Poultrylicious]

No 2008 list is credible without Speed Racer.

[aolsux]

No 2008 list is credible without Speed Racer.
well, I guess you won't find most lists credible then...including my own

[MusicTalks]

If someone wants to see an Emil Hirsch movie, go see Into the Wild or Alpha Dog.

[aolsux]

If someone wants to see an Emil Hirsch movie, go see Into the Wild or Alpha Dog.
This, both quality films.

[the color theft]

there's like a sentence of information for The Fall from wiki and imdb combined, how easy is it to find?

Did you ever find the fall? Its an incredible movie, definitely worth searching for.

[Thomas Balkcom]

http://www.ifc.com/film/indie-eye/12112008_yearendchart.jpg

[Thomas Balkcom]

http://www.ifc.com/film/indie-eye/12112008_yearendchart_docs.jpg

[Thomas Balkcom]

http://www.ifc.com/film/indie-eye/12112008_yearendlchart_horror.jpg

[Thomas Balkcom]

I thought those were pretty interesting

[updownleftright]

I was shocked to see My Winnipeg on Time's top list.
yeah, i actually didn't care of it at all which is funny because i liked one of his previous movies a lot. brand upon the brain.

however Time also put 4 Months, 3 Weeks, & 2 Days on their list which came out in '07. so..

Are they not allowed to list foreign movies? because they really missed a lot.

[aminorthreat55]

http://www.ifc.com/film/indie-eye/12112008_yearendchart.jpg
Is this updated on a regular basis?

[alann]

It's all about Wall-E

[Thomas Balkcom]

Is this updated on a regular basis?

I think it's updated as soon as each critic releases their top tens or something along those lines, it popped up in my Google Reader.

http://www.ifc.com/film/indie-eye/2008/12/the-year-in-top-tens.php

[Thomas Balkcom]

AFI posted their top ten too

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/ Nixon
Frozen River
Gran Torino
Iron Man
Milk
Wall - E
Wendy and Lucy
The Wrestler

[Thomas Balkcom]

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117997373.html?categoryid=2825&cs=1&nid=2563

[jwelborn]

Edgar Wright has posted his top 29 movies of '08

1. Let the Right One In
2. Synecdoche, New York
3. Iron Man
4. Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!
5. Man on Wire
6. Hunger
7. Frost/Nixon
8. The Dark Knight
9. Burn After Reading
10. Wall-E
11. Rachel Getting Married
12. Slumdog Millionaire
13. Happy-Go-Lucky
14. Gran Torino
15. Kung Fu Panda (IMAX)
16. Rec
17. Cloverfield
18. JCVD
19. Son of Rambow
20. Rambo
21. The Ruins
22. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
23. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
24. The Foot Fist Way
25. Tropic Thunder
26. Milk
27. W.
28. Zack and Miri Make a Porno
29. Pineapple Express


"Edgar notes that he still hasn’t seen The Wrestler, The Reader, Timecrimes, Funny Games, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Bolt, Valkyrie, Australia, Revolutionary Road and Wendy and Lucy, so the rankings may change in the coming weeks."